Better Gold Initiative for ASM

The Better Gold Initiative for ASM is an innovative Public-Private partnership between the Swiss government (SECO) and the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA) for setting-up integrated supply chains. Through the Better Gold Initiative, the Swiss Government has developed a successful and pioneer plan with the purpose of generating transparency, responsibility, and profitability within the gold value chain for small-scale mining. BGI facilitates the linkage between small-scale producers and international markets, creating gold value chains from mine to market. In this way, Better Gold is a precious metal produced and exported in compliance with the mining regulations of every country, which guarantees the origin and traceability of production, including social, work, and environmental criteria. Better Gold producers have direct access to markets demanding better gold, thus they receive the best conditions for their production

Projekt-Consult has a long history in implementing projects for the Swiss cooperation for supporting environmental projects of small-scale and artisanal mining in the Andes. Within the BGI, Projekt-Consult is the implementer and responsible for the all three components in Switzerland, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru:

1. Production and certification: With the aim of expanding the production of gold extracted in a responsible manner (“Responsible Gold”), the initiative provides support to small-scale miners and mining cooperatives to improve their performance in technical, organizational, social, and environmental terms. BGI supports Fairtrade, Fairmined, and Responsible Jewellery Council RJC certification systems. Through the introduction of a new BGI purchase policy for small-scale mining with established market entry criteria, a substantial higher number of gold mining companies, as well as their families and communities, shall benefit from better living and working conditions in the second phase.
2. Policy Dialogue: Political dialogue and cooperation with governments allows for a common understanding of the core conditions for sustainable gold mining and supports the simplification of the formalization processes.
3. Demand: In Switzerland, the cooperation with the SBGA channels the demand for Better Gold among industry stakeholders: refiners, brands (watchmakers, jewelry), and investors. Members of the SBGA are committed to buying the production of Better Gold and reinvesting through the Better Gold Fund a contribution of USD 1 per gram into social and environmental projects in and around mines.

For more information: http://bettergold.org/

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